A Hsiung Feng III missile is seen in Taipei. (AP Photo/Wally Santana, File)

(Newser)
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In an accident that is unlikely to do anything good for China-Taiwan relations, a Taiwanese naval ship docked in the southern city of Kaohsiung mistakenly fired a supersonic missile toward China during a training exercise Friday, killing one. Officials say the missile—built to destroy ships—traveled almost a third of the 160-mile distance to China in roughly two minutes before hitting a Taiwanese fishing boat, reports NBC News. The Taiwanese captain was killed, while three crew members from Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines were injured, reports the New York Times.

Taiwanese officials say the supersonic missile—which had a range of about 200 miles—was likely fired by human error and did not cross the midway line in the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and China, which is celebrating the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party. In a speech Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called "for peaceful development of relations" between Taipei and Beijing, as the AP puts it. China still claims Taiwan as part of its territory.